SEATTLE — Even as the Washington Huskies have put together one of the best three-season stretches in program history, winning two Pac-12 championships and qualifying for three consecutive New Year’s Six bowl games, questions remain about whether and how that ascension might continue.

How close is this program to truly competing for a national championship? Can the Huskies begin to close the talent gap between themselves and national powers such as Alabama, Clemson and Georgia? If so, what’s it going to take?

More than one recruiting class, certainly. But the big dudes who signed Wednesday on the first day of the early signing period — in conjunction with the big dudes who signed last year — represent a significant forward stride.

Washington signed 20 prospects, a group that currently ranks a consensus 15th nationally in the 247Sports Composite. That’s still not on the same plane as the elite of the elite, and it’s also 10 spots behind the Oregon...